Thoughts at the half way point of Life of Pi

One of the joys of being an avid reader is that you are never short of books to read. Particularly when it comes to catching up on things that you might have missed out on that become topical.

A great example is Life of Pi which passed me by but has become firmly fixed on the radar as a result of the latest Yann Martel. With Martel's latest Beatrice and Virgil getting a very rough ride from the critics it seemed like a very good idea to read the book they all hold up as being a high point in his career that he has been unable to recapture with Beatrice and Virgil.

Books often remind you of other reads so the Indian childhood of Pi reminded me of Midnight's Children and the struggle to survive once he had been cast adrift on the Pacific kept bringing back memories of Golding's Pincher Martin.

The idea of a boy being stuck at sea with a tiger is one that would test a writer particularly when the scenes are played out over a hundred or so pages. But Martel puts you on the boat and manages to keep you there. It will be interesting to see what the story is in aid of and that keeps you going.

A review will follow soon...